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Okay, we're in Isaiah chapter 14. It's been a couple of weeks, we had a Pastor Thompson preach here the last couple of Wednesdays for a couple of great one-off sermons. But we're back in Isaiah, we're back in Isaiah, we're in chapter 14. So this introduction, just to remind you where we were in chapter 13, it's probably more important than usual, or at least just to remind you where we were. So we're in Isaiah 13 and if you remember there was a sort of gear change where he started the first of what is 11 chapters or burdens. We see them called 11 chapters of burdens, sorry. The prophecies were against certain places and the first one being Babylon and that's where we were last week, we're going to continue to be this week. And like so much of this book, specifically the book of Isaiah, we saw what could be applied in part to the Babylon of around 200 years after Isaiah's prophecy, but is still to be ultimately fulfilled in time to come with what is perhaps some would say a spiritual Babylon, also known as Mystery Babylon, in the end times. With it going hand in hand with the time of God's wrath still to come. And we looked at the sort of people that will make up the majority of those on the receiving end. Isaiah 13 and 11 said, and I will punish the world for their evil and the wicked for their iniquity, and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. And how the more you deal with a battle with God's enemies, the more you understand the celebratory of their downfall to come, don't you? The more you battle these people, the more you kind of get why the Bible celebrates the downfall of certain people. The chapter ended describing the eventual desolation of the Babylon of over 500 years BC. And we saw how it will be a pretty similar situation with the Babylon of the future minus the dragons. And we looked at how dragons in the Bible is what we would probably call dinosaurs now. And we went into a bit more depth with that. Then verse 20 said, it shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation, neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures and owls shall dwell there and satyr shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the island shall cry in the desolate houses and dragons in their pleasant palaces. And our time is near to come and our days shall not be prolonged. Then Isaiah chapter 14 of verse 1 begins with this, for the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will yet choose Israel and set them in their own land. And the strangers shall be joined with them and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. I'm going to pray before we get going with it. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for this chapter of the Bible, Lord. A famous chapter with some great verses in there, Lord, and some pretty familiar ones for many. Help me to preach clearly and accurately, Lord, and in a way that people will be able to be edified by it, will take things from this preaching. Lord, in the way that you'd want them to, everyone in this room tonight and those even watching online. Lord, please fill with your spirit as I do this in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. OK, so initial fulfilment of this was around 536 BC when Cyrus made the decree for God's people to return to Judah. We looked at that when we studied through the Book of Ezra, who had previously been taken captive to Babylon with Zerubbabel leading the first wave of returning exiles, if you remember. Now, we went through this in depth when we looked at that in Ezra. And although there was some strange mixing with the women of the land, if you remember at the end of Ezra and obviously at the end of Nehemiah, the same thing happens. They then separated from them, didn't they? And, you know, whether you want to believe that was rightfully or wrongfully, that's what happened. So when were the strangers joined with them? We just looked at verse one where it said, For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob with Yetri's Israel and set them in their own land. And the strangers shall be joined with them and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. Well, turn to Esther chapter eight, Esther chapter eight, because for the first fulfilment of this prophecy, the obvious time for me, at least that we see recorded in scripture when this happened, was after Haman's death here in Esther, the Book of Esther chapter eight. And in Esther eight, after Mordecai was promoted to the head of Haman's house and Purim was instituted, it says this in verse 11, Wherein the king granted the Jews, which were in every city, to gather themselves together and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay and to cause, to perish all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. Upon one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, namely upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, the copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves and their enemies. So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment, and the decree was given at Shushan, the palace. And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king of royal apparel of blue and white and with a great crown of gold and with a garment of fine linen and purple, and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. Look at verse 17, in every province and in every city whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day, and many, not just some, many of the people of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews fell upon them. So notice that last bit, that verse again, many of the people of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews fell upon them. Which is, for me, one of the many nails in the coffin of this bizarre, Zionistic, genetic claim to the land. I mean, how does that even work? How can you claim some sort of genetic link to a land where many of the people of all over the land, he's talking about that whole area of the Medo-Persian empire, how did many of the people of the land become Jews? Then you claim you have some sort of genetic link to Abraham. It's nonsense, isn't it? Because it's a religion. OK, so religion, yeah, of course, there was a physical line that ended a long time ago. Of course, we're not to observe endless genealogies anymore, but many of the people of the land even before that became Jews, didn't they? OK, but keep a finger here in Esther. Many became Jews here. It was a point during this phase return to Jerusalem when the strangers were joined with them en masse. That's my point. There we see a clear point where many strangers were joined with the people. And look at verse one, it said back in Isaiah, you've kept a finger in Esther, hopefully it said in verse one. For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will yet choose Israel and set them in their own land. And the strangers shall be joined with them and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob and the people should take them and bring them to their place. And the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids. And they should take them captives whose captives they were and they shall rule over their oppressors. Now, I believe this was perhaps fulfilled then in Esther chapter nine. So if you go back to Esther and chapter nine, it says in verse one, it's the nine one. Now, in the 12th month, that is a month later on the 13th, they're the same when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution in the day that the enemies of the Jews hope to have power over them. Though it was turned to the contrary that the Jews had power over them, they hated them. The Jews gathered themselves together in a city throughout all the provinces of the King Aswarus to lay hand on such as thought they're hurt. And no man could withstand them for the fear of them fell upon all people. And all the rulers of the provinces and the lieutenants and the deputies and the officers of the king helped the Jews because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. For Mordecai was great in the king's house, his fame went out throughout all the provinces for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater. Thus, the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of a sword and slaughter and destruction and did what they would unto those that hated them. So they end up killing hundreds in Shushan. And then it says in verse 16, But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces, this is the provinces of that empire, gathered themselves together and stood for their lives and had rest from their enemies and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey. Now the book finishes with Esther chapter 10 showing Mordecai as a Christ figure. It says in verse one, The king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, upon the eyes of the sea. This is Esther 10 one. And all the acts of his power and of his might and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, where unto the king advanced, were they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Medea and Persia. For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus and great among the Jews and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people and speaking peace to all his seed, which for me is what Isaiah is prophesying of in Isaiah 14. Look at verse two again. It said the people shall take them and bring them to their place and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids. They should take them captives, whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their oppressors. That's what we've just seen that was eventually to happen. And we saw it in the book of Esther there. And it shall come to pass in a day that the Lord shall give the rest from thy sorrow and from thy fear and from the hard bondage wherein now was made to serve. However, it is, as is usually the case so far in the book of Isaiah, also a dual prophecy of the millennial reign still to come. So often we've seen in the book of Isaiah that we see a prophecy that's sort of part fulfilled at some point that we then have the record of in the Bible. But it's also a dual prophecy of a time to come still. And this is talk about the millennial reign when we will be ruling reigning with Christ, hence ruling over our oppressors in verse two, when we will be given that rest that verse three talks about. It says, and it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give the rest from thy sorrow and from my fear and from the hard bondage where wherein now was made to serve. And I'll tell you what, that rest is something I don't know about you, but I'm definitely looking forward to. I'm looking forward to some rest. It can get a bit tiring sometimes, you know, the Christian life and and obviously the ministry and everyone's got their own ministry. Everyone's in the ministry and somewhere in one way or another, because they're ministering, you know, the word of God, they're in the ministry. Right. And it can be tiring, can't it? And sometimes you get a bit worn out. Well, eventually there's going to be a time when we get that rest. Turn to Revelation chapter 20. The rest from our sorrow, from our fear, from our hard bondage will be when Satan is cast into hell for a thousand years. That definitely hasn't happened yet. Revelation chapter 20 and verse one, Revelation 21, 20, that is, and verse one says, I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. This is a hardcore angel, Abaddon, and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and said to seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that, he must be loose a little season. And I saw thrones and they sat upon them and judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands. And they lived to reign with Christ for a thousand years, but the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection as such, the second death hath no power, but there should be priests of God and of Christ who shall reign with him a thousand years. So Satan is bound to cast into hell for a thousand years before he gets a little brief cameo role, weeding out the non hackers remaining. If you remember, that's what's going to happen at the end of the millennial reign, just kind of sought out the last kind of, you know, non hackers still hanging around, still trying, still rejecting the Lord, still wanting Satan, happy to be deceived by him, I believe. But until that last point of the millennial reign, what a great thousand years that will be. I mean, that's going to be amazing. Aside from the immortal bodies, OK, just aside from that, because bear in mind, we're going to have our glorified bodies in the likeness of Christ's glorified bodies. Aside from the fact that we're reigning with Christ, ruling and reigning with Christ, that's going to be pretty amazing, isn't it? And this is going to happen. Like I say many times, we believe everything else in the word of God. We've seen all these other prophecies come true, seen the prophecies of, for example, the ones that we've focused on so often as believers, the prophecies of Christ's birth, just all fulfilled, that were written hundreds, if not sometimes over that thousand years before. Some of the pictures, different prophecies, the prophecies of Christ's death and the circumstances in his life, the circumstances in his death. And we've seen all that coming true. We're starting to see things start to play out that look like they're going towards the prophecies of the end times with a cashless society coming, with a society where you can't worship without some sort of mark. We're seeing all of this happening. So anyone here in doubt that we're going to be ruling and reigning with Christ for a thousand years in the future? Because my Bible says that's going to happen. And that is going to be a time when it can feel like it's a long way off, can't it? You can feel like, when is this going to happen? But you know what is going to happen? And aside from the immortal bodies, aside from reigning with Christ, a thousand years without Satan's influence in the world. That's going to be a good thousand years, isn't it? A thousand years without having your ears polluted by the world's version of music anymore. And when I say your ears polluted, don't get me wrong, the flesh sometimes likes it, doesn't it? The flesh sometimes craves it. The flesh sometimes, but you know, but the spirit doesn't, does it? And it vexes you, doesn't it? All that filth, all that smut, all that junk, all that rubbish. And there's going to be a thousand years without that. A thousand years without walking into a store and going, no, I can't get this stupid song out of my head. It's going to be good, isn't it? A thousand years without having to avert your eyes nearly everywhere you go, because most people out there nowadays, in terms of women, are dressed like whores. A thousand years without having to be like, where do you even look? Can't you drive down the road and just glance around without being like, oh, no, not that way, right? It's like that, isn't it? Surrendous, horrendous. A thousand years without having to put up with sodomites flaunting their filth in not only your face, but the face of your kids. Not having to worry about that, worry about this one, just everywhere, sodomites everywhere flaunted, put on you, promoted to you, promoted to your kids, without people trying to act like you're abnormal because you don't want to accept that filth. You're abnormal because you're saying, but throughout history, we thought they're disgusting. Now we've got to just accept it, do we? A thousand years without that. How about that? A thousand years when I get put to death, if they are. Wow, what a time to come. A thousand years without two-tier queer, sorry, kia, and the rest of the lying politicians. A thousand years without lying politicians everywhere. It's going to be pretty good, isn't it? I mean, aside from the immortal bodies, aside, just that stuff alone, and you can think of a lot more things where, where Satan's, Satan's influence won't be. And you could cut out so much of the world that we live in, couldn't you? All of that oppression ceased. It said in verse four that thou shalt take up this proverb against the King of Babylon and say, how has the oppressor ceased, the golden city ceased? Now, the King of Babylon is a form of world power representing Satan, okay, made clear to us, especially in verse 12, where he's the, the, the God of this world, small g. And as a rev, and as Revelation 13, two says, it's Satan, a dragon that gives power to the Antichrist and his world empire. Said, and the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear in his mouth, as the mouth of a lion, and the dragon gave him his power and his seat and great authority. The dragon being another name for Satan. So here in Isaiah 14, although he's prophesying of the downfall of Babylon and the King of Babylon, it's pretty clear as we go through it that the ultimate fulfillment is still to come with Satan as the King of End Times Babylon, okay? The king of that, of that, basically that world power. He said in verse four that thou shalt take up this proverb against the King of Babylon and say, how have the oppressor ceased, the golden city ceased? The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger is persecuted and none hindereth. So at the top is Satan, that underneath him in that pyramid of power, the rulers, plural as per verse five. The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked and the sceptre of the rulers. Now turn to Matthew chapter four, the book of Matthew in chapter four. In the end times, there will seemingly be 10 Confederate kings or rulers. You'd have to turn up at Revelation 17, 12 or your turn to Matthew 4, Revelation 17, 12 says, and the 10 horns which thou sawest are 10 kings which have received our kingdom as yet, but receive power as kings one hour with the beast being the Antichrist, being that one world leader. But I don't believe that it is an isolated moment in history. I don't think anyone would probably claim that. In Matthew four, in the temptation in the wilderness, a third of which here in Matthew four is this, a third of the temptations in the wilderness is this in verse eight. Verse eight says, again, the devil takes him up into an exceeding high mountain. This is the temptations of Christ. The devil takes him up to this exceeding high mountain and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world. He didn't just show him some. He didn't just show him maybe the communist kingdoms of the world. He didn't just show him the kingdoms of the world, which maybe have some sort of Jewish influence in them or whatever you know you want to believe it is. He showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them and saith unto him, all these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Now, did Jesus reply there, stop lying, Satan, they're not yours to give. He didn't say, what are you talking about, what claptrap is this, Satan, you can't give me the kingdoms of the world. No, he said, it says, then saith Jesus unto him, get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only, shalt thou serve. So the devil, though, was able to offer the glory of all the kingdoms of the world because he controls the kingdoms of the world. Regardless of what the devil has to offer, though, we're to worship only the Lord and serve only him, yeah? But the reality, though, is that those who possess most in life, those with most authority, with most wealth, with most power, are usually falling down and worshipping Satan one way or another. Just the reality of life, isn't it? And with some of these, it's just clear open stuff, isn't it? With some, they will even say, I sold my soul to the devil to get popular, to get fame, to get the riches, for my music, to get to this point, you know, to be up here, I sold myself, many just come out and say it. But eventually, whoever it is, in whatever way and wherever it is, in whatever kingdom, because he seems to have the power of all the kingdoms of the world, they're eventually going to have that power broken. Verse 5 says, the Lord has broken the staff of the wicked and the sceptre of the rulers. He who smote the people of wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger is persecuted and none hindereth. Which is the reality of Satan, okay? He's an angry taskmaster. He offers everything, but the end thereof are the ways of death. He offers you the world, but the reality, an old saying, is that all Satan's apples have worms in them. And when it comes to the end of days, Matthew 24, 22, you don't have to tell them, it says, and except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened. So he's offering this solution through his Antichrist one world system, but except those days should be shortened, no one would have survived it. So once that ceases, once God has rained down his judgments on the world, Satan is cast into the bottomless pit. It says in verse 7 here, the whole earth is at rest and is quiet. They break forth into singing. Yea, the fir trees rejoice at the end, the cedars of Lebanon saying, since thou art laid down, no fellow is come up against us. So another glimpse into the rest, the quiet, the rejoicing in the millennial reign of Christ, a big part of that being the absence of Satan and his influence. Because it will be a big power shift when it comes to the power and influence in society as a whole, if you think about it. I mean, what a massive shift that will be. At the end of God's wrath, pouring down upon the earth for that three and a half years, post rapture, post that coming of Christ, we get this wrath coming upon the unbelieving world. And ultimately what is probably going to be a vast majority, a large amount of reprobates there, people that have taken the mark of the beast. And then there's going to be this big power shift, isn't there, where suddenly Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning. And let me tell you something, the world is opposite right now to how God wants it to be, pretty much in most areas, right? So what a change that will be. What a change with the power in the world, what a change with many things. And it says here that the whole earth is at rest in his choir. People are breaking forth into singing, the fir trees rejoicing, the cedars of Lebanon saying, since thou art laid down, no fellow is come up against us. Now the trees here, particularly the cedars, used often in scripture to represent those high up in power or powerful nations. For example, in Ezekiel 31, he compares the former powerful Assyrians to a cedar. Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and with a shadowing shroud and of an high stature, and his top was among the thick boughs. Well, in the millennial reign, who will be those cedars? It's us. It's us. It's believers. So is ruling and reigning with Christ. And no fellow will be coming up against us. And it's not talking about some old fellow over there, it's talking about people that fell trees, okay? But no one will be coming up against us, because we'll be ruling and reigning with the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what it's talking about here. Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon talk about those in power, saying, since thou art laid down, no fellow is come up against us. Because, do you know what I deal with, and what I think everyone else deals with, pretty much in your Christian life, is fellers, and again, I'm talking about, don't get the wrong idea here, is basically people trying to take you down. People trying to cut you down in one way or another, don't we? Just in every area of life. People just want to cut you down for being a believer. People want to cut you down for going out soul-willing. People want to cut you down for preaching the Gospel, for preaching the Word of God, for believing the Word of God. They want to cut you down for raising, trying to raise a godly family. They just want to cut you down for trying to do things God's way. And you know what? Once the devil is in that bottomless pit in the millennial reign, there won't be these fellas coming up against you. It's gonna be a good time, isn't it? It says, hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming. It stirreth up the dead for thee. Even all the chief ones of the earth, it is raised up from their thrones, all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us? Now this is what will happen when Satan is cast into hell. And no, he's not the king of hell, okay? Look at this. Satan's not the king of the pit. It's not they're all down there having a party and worshipping him, and it's like, ah, the king of hell, Satan. You know, I had a person, someone recently saying to me, yeah, well I'd prefer to go down there, wouldn't I? Like, much more fun down there. I was like, what do you even say to people, like, right? It's like, yeah, much more fun. Because in their mind it's like, yeah, we're with Satan down there, with the rebellious types, having fun. He ain't no king down there. It says here, they'll be saying, aren't thou also become weak as we? Aren't thou become like unto us? He's also, and by the way, he's not the king of hell now either, by the way. He's not in hell now. Eventually he'll be cast into the bottomless pit. He doesn't fly in and out of hell. Like by Satan, they're going to be down there high-fiving him while they're burning in flames for eternity. He's going to be hated down there. He's going to be despised down there. It's an interesting thing, isn't it, how all things are equal when you're burning in flames. And you could have been the highest person, so you could even be the devil himself, where people were falling down and worshiping you for power in the world, and in Satan you're just another good-for- nothing dirty dog. Did I say Satan in hell? In hell, burning in flames forever. I was thinking about it like this, kind of like the Tube in London. Hear me out, yeah. If you ever get on the Tube at rush hour for whatever reason and suddenly you've got chief executives, you've got hobos, and you're all together sniffing each other's armpits, wedged in together, all things are equal on the Tube in London, aren't they? Doesn't matter if they're a millionaire, a billionaire, or if they somehow got a freedom pass to get on the Tube, or they bunked their way on. You're all sniffing armpits, wishing you had that seat that they got over at the first stop. And it's like that in hell, it doesn't matter who you are, you're all burning in flames down there, right? Well, and although you could go slightly further than that, it's not entirely equal because those that have done the worst stuff are burning in the lowest depths of hell, in the lowest pit. And that's where he's going to be because it says, thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy vials, the worm is spread under thee and the worms cover thee. Now pomp is some sort of splendor, magnificence, vials are stringed instruments. Like I said earlier, no more having your ears polluted by the world's version of music anymore, yeah? His vials, and because Satan is, let's be honest, most of what people call music nowadays is just satanic garbage, really, isn't it? It's satanic filth, it's influenced by people, sadly, or written by people that are just trying to brainwash people, trying to influence them, trying to promote negative things contrary to the word, contrary to how God wants us living. But no more of that anymore, the noise of his vials, his instruments. And music is a big weapon, isn't it? It's a big weapon of the devil. Think how powerful music is, think how powerful hymns can be, how you're humming along to a hymn, and you're singing a hymn maybe at home when you've got that hymn in your head, and you're singing doctrine. A lot of the time you're singing scripture, you're singing things which are teaching, which are learning, where you're teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, you know, you're making melody in your heart to the Lord, and it helps you remember a lot, it helps you think, and sometimes you think of doctrine, you think of a hymn, and then on the flip side it can just be the most filthy, just horrendous stuff. You get little kids singing along to things which are just open fornication, filth, just all sorts of horrible lyrics, and it's a powerful, it's a powerful weapon, isn't it? Or here it said, the noise of his vials will be brought down to the grave with him. And now the worm here, it said the worm is spread under the inner worm's cover, it can mean all sorts of larvae, I think, I don't think it's just the earthworm, if that's what you thought when you've always read about the worm, it's just all sorts of things like that. Of course, if you think about it, when the manna, when it went off, it stank and bred worms, didn't it? I don't think it's talking about earthworms, it'll be maggots, yeah, so it's that sort of creature. Well, what happens to a dead body, isn't it, with insects eating it? Maggots, a lot of the time, flies lay maggots in dead bodies and things like that, it's pretty horrendous, that's a lot of the time, a lot of the stench is that sort of thing, a lot of the stench of many things. I remember once, in a house many years ago, we had basically like some rats come in the house, like underneath, it was like a big house, like all these floorboards underneath and all these ways in, it's in the countryside a bit, and I remember we were told, just put down the poison, we're going, won't they die under the floorboards? Nah, they run out. Yeah, they don't run out, okay, so we heard them dying, yeah, and then after they died, then the house just had loads of flies in it, and I mean, my wife got good with the tea towel, okay, with flies, she can't match this anymore, but back in, back, this is several years ago now, I think maybe Jack was pretty young then, so it's got to be like maybe 10, 11 plus years ago, yeah, and she could, she would have a tea towel on each hand, she's like, fly, fly, fly, and they were just, it, and what they were, they were just coming up out of the floorboards, out of, because they were dead, dead rats, basically, decomposing, and I tried to get, and when I went, I was like, I'm gonna have to pull up these floorboards, yeah, because we had to like, a couple of rooms, we were like, putting like air fresh, it was rancid, yeah, and it definitely wasn't the way to do it, it should have been traps, traps you can remove, right, but anyway, so I'm going to pull up these floorboards, and they were just like, double nailed every like, six inches, and I'm just like, man, yeah, and it was a rental house, I think, what do I do with this, so we ended up like, just locking off in this downstairs room, where it seemed to be where they must have been, and anyway, but flies everywhere, why, because the flies lay larvae, and them, and the larvae are eating the decomposing, it's really disgusting, right, well, the point here is, when it's talking about the worm, I think it's just making that point that, that not only is it a dead body, okay, with insects eating, it's that picture, it's that, what happens to a dead body, but I think it probably represents the continued, the continued torment of the soul, and, you know, he says here the worm is spread under thee and the worms cover thee, it's just basically, where the worm dieth not, Mark 9 44 says that, doesn't it, it talks about hell being a place where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, and I think it's representing just that eternal, eternal torment in hell. Well, he said in verse 11, thy pomp is brought down to the grave and annoys thy vials, the worm is spread under thee and the worms cover thee, how art thou fallen from heaven, oh Lucifer, son of the morning, how art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nation, so one of the many reasons that we don't entertain these false bible perversions, by the way, in case you're sitting and going, why don't we just have an easier to read version, you know, without all that V and I now, which is so complicated, it's not how people cope, right, why don't we have an easier to read version, well, one of the reasons is that rather than calling Lucifer, son of the morning, like we've just seen here, oh Lucifer, son of the morning, the NIV says, how you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn, you have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nation, so you can't even read it, can you, it just feels so weird to read it, but what's the morning, why is it, what is it a problem, oh so what, they're calling the morning star, what's the problem, right, well the morning star is a name for the Lord Jesus Christ, Revelation 22 16 says, I Jesus have sent my angel to testify unto you these things in the churches, I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star, well there's a problem there, isn't there, if you're calling Lucifer the morning star as well, are you calling Jesus Christ Lucifer or the other way around, you know Lucifer isn't the morning star, unlike Christ, and unlike Christ as well, he will fall from his high position of power, which I think is what it's talking about here, about him falling from heaven, oh Lucifer, son of the morning, and the title, son of the morning, I think is probably alluding to his being a created being, he's the son of the morning, he's a son of basically of creation, he's a created being, it said, how art thou fallen from heaven, oh Lucifer, son of the morning, how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations, Lucifer, as we're seeing here, clearly this is a picture of the devil being another name for Satan, and he sure does weaken the nations or the people, we might say, yet so many think that they're in power, don't they, by him, so although he weakens the nations, he weakens the people in various ways, like we talked about one way, for example through music, but many other ways, people think they're empowered by worshipping Satan, they think they're empowered by Satan, but he weakens them in so many ways, think about for example how that satanic doctrine of feminism just weakens people, just weakens nations, it weakens people, weakens men and women, it just weakens families, it weakens whole societies, where people are trying to fit in, you're trying to fit square pegs into round holes, you've got people that spend their whole lives feeling insecure, that they ultimately can't match up to men with manly things, and then you've got a load of men now feeling insecure because they're not queer enough, seriously, it doesn't empower, it does the opposite, but it's not just that, it's not just the feminism, the feminazis, and all that sort of brainwash, the fornication that's constantly being pushed and promoted by most societies, and when I say fornication, physical relations outside of marriage, again it just weakens people, you end up with diseased people everywhere, you end up with people mentally scarred by all the things they've gone up to before marriage, sometimes unable to have a healthy marriage, because of all the stuff they've gone through before marriage, which they shouldn't have done, which can ruin people, which leaves so much emotional baggage and other things from that the alcohol that's pushed on most cultures in society, like it's a cool thing like you're somehow suave and cultured if you drink, or that you're somehow more manly for drinking booze, I mean what a bizarre thing that is isn't it, all these fat geezers with big beer breasts and everything else, and they think that they're somehow more manly while they're sobbing drunk about something, or they're sobbing on their way home before they vomit everywhere, I mean but people believe this stuff, they think they're more empowered, yeah you know drinking that bible saying do not even look upon it, I mean oh lucky we're able to go and get drunk now and just ruin our lives and ruin our relationships and get in fights and just just wreck our lives in many ways, drugs as well, how many people think that they're empowered with drugs, they think that somehow you know a free world we're able to do whatever drugs we like, yeah tell that to all them that people have just wrecked their lives, whose minds are gone, who can't stop doing drugs, who can never stop doing drugs really, will always have it hanging over them, they're not empowered it's the opposite, but they're led to believe that it's a freedom thing, it's like a rite of passage for a youngster, and all the different versions of divide and conquer through political ways and everything else, people think they've got this free choice where they're just getting brainwashed with political ideals, there's nothing free about it, there's nothing empowering about it, they're weakened, he did weaken the nations it says here, talking about a time of the future, and that's aside from all his various false religions, and they weaken the nations, they weaken people don't they, not only do they weaken them where it's so hard to get someone who's in a false version of religion saved, the more they're into whatever the religion, the more of that religion they're into, whether it's a Christian version of religion or not, the more vested they've put, the more they've put into that religion thinking it's earning their way to heaven, they're weakened aren't they, weakened to the power of the gospel, it's harder to get them saved, and then also it even weakens countries, think how much Islam has weakened the Middle East and elsewhere, in a place of absolute hell holes, that's why they want to come here, I mean surrender some of those nations, those Islamic nations, you wouldn't want to live there would you, what a weakened, vile place most of them are, Hinduism, how much has weakened India, and that's what happens, they just, it just destroys places, people want to, people want to go race, it's not race, it's religion, religion ruins places, false religion wrecks places, verse 13 says for thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exhort my throne above the stars of God, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most high, and that's what it's about with Satan isn't it, it's pride and the need for self-glory, okay, that's what seems to drive him, that's what we're seeing here, this is really clear, just insight into what he said in his heart, what he continued to say in his heart, he wants to be worshipped like God and to reign like the Lord Jesus Christ will reign from Jerusalem upon the mount of the congregation, that's Satan's desire, that's what he wants to do, that's what he continues to want to do, and now this is why though, you say okay well Satan's prideful, so what, well this is why pride is such a defining characteristic of his children too, okay, turn to Psalm 119, Psalm 119, now in John 8 44, John 8 44, Jesus said to the reprobate Jews, he said ye are of your father the devil, and don't miss this bit, the lusts of your father ye will do, don't miss that, the lusts of your father ye will do, he was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him, when he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it, and one of the key lusts of their father the devil is pride, it's one of the defining characteristics of the devil as we've just seen here, and it's one of the characteristics of the devil's children, that's why the Psalmist in Psalms 119 verse 21, verse 21 called them the proud and cursed, he said thou has rebuked the proud, that's his name for them, that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments, in verse 69, verse 69 he said the proud have forged a lie against me, so these again these same people known as the proud, but I will keep thy precepts in my whole heart, he said in verse 85 the proud have digged pits for me, so they're even trying to set traps for God's people, they're forging lies against God's people, but they're cursed we've seen, he said the proud have digged pits for me which are not after thy law, why are they called the proud, because the lusts of their father they will do, and it's an interesting thing this if you want to turn to 2 Timothy 3, you can turn there if you can quickly, out of 18 descriptive words and phrases in verse 2 to 4 yeah of 2 Timothy 3 describing these people, describing what the Bible calls, and if you're new to this you don't understand it's thought there are people that are just known as the children of the devil, or they're known as sons of Belial, children of Belial, they're known as reprobates, workers of iniquity, the wicked, there are people that are children of the devil, and these people are people that have been given over to a reprobate mind, they serve, they're basically their children, they're workers of the devil, and these people are incapable of salvation, they've got to a point where they're unable to get saved, and out of 18 descriptive words and phrases in those three verses, verses 2, 3 and 4, over a quarter, five of them, five of 18 are about their pride, it said they're lovers of their own selves, they're boasters, they're proud, they're heady, they're high-minded, it's such a driving force of these people isn't it, a massive part of these people is their pride, now don't get me wrong, like normal regular people, Christians, believers will have pride, and some people might battle with pride a bit more than others, some at different times in their life, sometimes when they're feeling more insecure, sometimes the pride will go a bit up, but these people it's just a massive defining characteristic. Back in verses 13 to 14 of Isaiah, it was such a driving force of their father, Lucifer of Satan, it said, for thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exhort my throne above the stars of God, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most high, now these people need adoration in the same way as well, they need worshipping, they want authority, they want recognition, they want positions of power, of control in various spheres and various areas of life, this is what these people are like, and they resent those that have what they want, that's why Peter 2 says that they despise government, they hate it, they hate leaders, it's not talking about the government in terms of, you know, labour or something like that, it's talking about leadership, it's talking about people that have power, they hate it, they hate people that have power over them, Jude 1 says that likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities, and these are again people in power, people who have power over them in various areas of life, but like with Satan it's pathetic really because it's so short-lived in the grand scheme of things, so how much these people crave it, they need it, they want the power, they want to get there, they want to have some control, they want to just somehow get, you know, some sort of power in their lives, it said in verse 15, yet thou shalt be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit, and my thoughts with that are that that's the bottom side of the pit, that's the sides of the pit, the bottom side, because Satan will be in the very depths of hell. There are depths of hell, as, you know, you might have heard mentioned before, I've probably said things like this before, that you know the Satan or the the reprobate, you know, child abusing serial killer isn't burning in the same depth of hell as the little old lady that, you know, just kind of didn't get saved but probably lived a fairly righteous life and was just a sinner like everyone else but nothing crazy. There are depths of hell, yeah, some people have the greater damnation and Satan will be in that bottom side of the pit. Verse 16 says they that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee and consider thee saying is this a man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms, that made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof, that opened not the house of his prisoners, so they're looking going wow look at it like what a pathetic now, what a, what, what, you know, what, what a basically just nothing to look upon. And again ultimate fulfillment obviously isn't the king of Babylon but Satan, he said, that made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof, that opened up the house of his prisoners. If you think about it, regardless of what happens eventually under the one world government beforehand, what is the cause of God's wrath being spilled out on the world, because it said and destroyed the cities thereof, it said that made the world as a wilderness, their worshiper of the Antichrist and ultimately the devil. So in a way you could put the blame back onto him to some degree with that, he indirectly maybe destroyed the cities thereof but he also continues regardless to destroy them spiritually doesn't he, that's what he does, he just destroys places spiritually and as he destroys them he takes him prisoner. You don't have to turn up at second Timothy 2 26 says to teach the unbelievers and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will and that's, you know, look he doesn't willingly open the house of his prisoners and that's basically everyone out there pretty much right. The only way is for us to break them out, you have to break them out of there because he's not just, he's not letting them out, when they're in that unbelieving world and in their unbelieving ways and everything else the devil's not finding a way for them to get saved, we have to find that way don't we, to reach them and to preach the gospel to them. Verse 18 says all the kings of the nations even all of them lie in glory everyone in his own house but thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch and as a raiment of those that are slain thrust through with a sword that go down to the stones of the pit as a carcass trodden under feet. So as opposed to the kings of history being buried and respected which is what it's talking about no matter how wicked they often were of course their souls are in hell but you know for to the world they're buried they're respected and often there are kings of the past you're thinking what on earth but people still know where their burial places are there's still some respect some sort of honor for them afterwards there ain't no burial for satan there's no respect for the body of satan it's not somewhere that we'll be looking at in the future going oh there that's where that great ruler laid he's cast alive body and soul into hell and basically I think it's saying here cast out like some bloody clothing it says like and as a raiment of those that are slain thrust through with a sword it you know it's basically just discarded or you could even say burnt that go down to the stones of the pit as a carcass trodden under feet trodden under feet like just some remains of some carcass something just absolutely no respect at all he he is pure scum thrown into the pit verse 20 says thou shalt not be joined with them in burial because thou has destroyed thy land and slain thy people the seed of evil doers shall never be renowned prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers that they did not rise nor possess the land nor fill the face of the world with cities and isn't that who gets killed at the battle of armageddon the antichrist reprobate army his children en masse there and obviously that's before we then end up with that judgment of all those that have died already physically verse 22 or for those it will be spiritually as well verse 22 for i will rise up against them saith the lord of hosts and cut off from babylon the name of remnant and son and nephew saith the lord i will also make it a possession for the bitten and pools of water and i will sweep it with the besom of destruction saith the lord of hosts and like we saw last week both the babylon of Nebuchadnezzar's day a couple of hundred years after this prophecy like i said earlier and the babylon of the future will be destroyed and become a waste place a bitten is a bird seemingly a kind of heron the point being that it feeds among marshes with the destruction i think leaving pools of water like it says here abysm is some sort of broom and babylon was eventually destroyed then and it will be destroyed in the future like we read about in the book of revelation as well there will be a place that that will be known of at least seen as as as babylon as mystery babylon that's going to be destroyed and it's going to be like it's swept with a broom so it's going to be a desolation like the babylon evolved like i mentioned last uh three weeks ago when i like when we were last in our zion chapter 13 i mean no one's built anything on it since sadam hussein had a little tried it but nothing really happened with that and the u.s were putting helipads on it and stuff no one's ever lived there dwelt there ever since verse 24 said the lord of hosts has sworn saying surely as i have thought so shall it come to pass and as i've purpose so shall it stand that i will break the asyrian in my land and upon my mountains tread him underfoot then shall his yoke depart from off them and his burden depart from off their shoulders so we're back to more imminent prophecy here okay so this is just a slight gear change here he's then talking about the asyrian again now this was being prophesied when when if you remember when judah was subject to asyria the great world power of the day verse 28 does make that clear it says in the year that king a had a has died was this burden okay this is being preached here and a has becoming a tributary to them after enlisting the asyrian self if you remember against israel and syria who were who were trying to invade and everything else so then you know he and of course asyria also takes over and destroys israel carries them away so he there's also that part of the land as well but he obviously being being under tribute he has power in judah as well says this is the purpose of his purpose upon the whole earth and this is a hand that is stretched out upon all the nations for the lord of hosts has purposed and who shall disannul it and his hand is stretched out and who shall turn it back so once god says something will happen no one is disannulling it no one's stopping it happen you're not going to stop and the end times coming for example you're not going to stop anything if god says it's going to happen it's going to happen unless god decides not to do it right and and like and think about it like this you could also you know apply that to things like when he said in john 10 28 and i give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand when god says that he means it no one can disannul that once you're saved you're saying no one can disannul it no one can take you away no one can stop your salvation when his hand is stretched out no one will turn it back and of course we saw that again you know with that hand stretched out it's destroying the Assyrians but removing his yoke and burden too we just saw earlier as well in verse uh verse 25 at the same time it's both stretched out in punishment and in salvation but no one's disannulling it it makes it made me think of um when we were soul winning on sunday and this lady said well yes but you could give the gift back she said like because she said if you give me this fly you've given me i could just throw it on the floor it's like yeah okay that fly is probably worth a penny if it was a million billion trillion pound flyer you ain't giving it back why would you give back so how do you even give back so how does it even work how does that look how do you give back salvation shall tell you what she means you give it back when you sin because she's another work salvationist oh yeah you know we agree with all of that i just think that you could give back the gift what does that even mean oh i'm just going to give back my eternal life and go to hell oh can i just give that back to your god because i don't really fancy it anymore what that nonsense right no you know what the lord of hosts has purposed and who shall disannul it who should disannul it and his hand is stretched out and who shall turn it back if his hand is stretched down if he holds you if you're saved no one's turning that back you're saved forever and if you don't believe that well then you ain't saved because you're not trusting christ now you're back to trusting yourself and if you trust yourself there's only one place you go in hell he that believeth on the sun hath ever last life neither believeth not the sunshine not the sea life but the wrath of god abideth on him simple as that verse 28 said in the year that king a has died was this burden rejoice not thou whole palestina because the rod of him that smote thee is broken for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent and palestina referring to the whole land he's saying don't get carried away when the asyrians are eventually deposed okay because why the babylonians will rise up in their stead and you kind of see this just one world power to the next it goes from babylonians and uh from the asyrians to the babylonians for the babylonians to the medo-persian empire and and he's saying don't get excited because the babylonians will be rising up he said another another snake a cockatrice it seems is just some say it's an adder some say it's like some kind of strange creature but either way it's some sort of snake will come forth and then after him will be a fiery flying serpent which is probably referring to the medo-persians i think it's saying there verse 29 said it like this it said rejoice not that whole palestina because the rod of him that smote thee is broken for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent so that's probably those empires one after the other said in the first born of the poor shall feed and the needy shall lie down in safety and i will kill thy root with famine and he shall slay thy remnant and i think he's saying to everyone don't get carried away however the poor and needy will be okay but the majority will be destroyed which is what happens when babylon invades says how lo gate cry oh city thou thou whole palestina art dissolved for there shall come from the north of smoke and none shall be alone in his appointed times what shall one then answer the messengers of the nation that the lord hath founded zion and the poor of his people shall trust in it which is what happens on the back of the carrying away to babylon now we're just finishing up but turn to second kings 24 second kings chapter 24 we just saw that that it talks about the the the needy lying down to safety it said the poor shall feed it said in verse 30 then it then having said how lo gay cry oh city that whole palestina it then said in verse 32 what shall one then answer the message of the nation that the lord of phantazon and the poor of his people shall trust in it well on the back of the carrying away to babylon or at least you know with amongst that invasion of babylon Nebuchadnezzar comes the first time to Jerusalem okay it says this in verse 11 and Nebuchadnezzar the second kings 24 11 and Nebuchadnezzar king of babylon came against city and his servants did besiege it and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out went out to the king of babylon he and his mother and his servants and his princes and his officers and the king of babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign and he carried out then saw the treasures of the house of the lord and the treasures of the king's house and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which solomon king of israel had made in the temple of the lord as the lord had said and he carried away all jerusalem and all the prince and all the mighty men of valor even ten thousand captors and all the craftsmen the smiths none remained save the poorest sort of the people of the land so it was a poor that was saved and then chapter 25 for the second time the second carrying away it says in verse 10 and all the army of the caldees that were with the captain of the god so this is when they come back because the king that he left there eventually needs to be invaded again it seems say that that we're with the captain of the guard break down the walls of jerusalem round about now the rest of people that were left in the city and the fugitives that fell away to the king of babylon with the remnant of the multitude did never use arad and the captain of the guard carry away but the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vine dressers and husbandmen so with that in mind when you go back to isaiah chapter 14 in verse 31 it says how low gate cryo city the whole palestino art dissolved for there shall come from the north the smoke none shall be alone in his appointed time so this is at that invasion what shall one then answer the messages of the nation that the lord has founded zion and the poor of his people shall trust in it so you've got the poor of his people still in zion basically but but aside from physically there with that being fulfilled there eternally too because who of god's physical nation trusted the heavenly zion who who would have been the majority of people of that physical nation in the old testament that trusted the heavenly zion and i'm sure just like now it was mostly the poor wasn't it there's always been the case it's a poor that receptive to the gospel matthew 5 3 says blessed are the poor in spirit for there's a kingdom of heaven that's the reality of life isn't it that's the reality of your soul winning the poor much more receptive to the gospel people that aren't wealthy people that don't have riches now many won't make it to church agreed does that matter though are we so willing to get people to church are we so willing to get people saved someone to get people saved the reality of it is is when we go to all these different areas miles away and we're reaching the poor and sometimes you get people that seem pretty keen but they don't have a car or they they don't have the wherewithal to get to church one way or another they don't they don't they can't maybe budget that trip in they have financial challenges however they're much more receptive to the gospel it's a poor that will trust in him it said what shall one then answer the messages of the nation that the lord had found design and the poor of his people shall trust in it that's who was left behind then the poor and those that dwelt there and i think spiritually it's the poor in general that are going to be more receptive to the gospel and there will be those that will be who makes up the vast majority of people that are saved that are in heaven are people in general not always okay still you know we've got all things are possible but in general it will be those that are of the poorer the poorer people but um hey ho you know that's it you know they're receptive people so there are people that we try to reach right um and that was Isaiah chapter 14 and on that we're going to finish in a week i thank you for your word thank you for um well the the many um you know just great truths and great verses and lessons we can get out of that lord and um lord just help us to well to try and reach those people that that you know will trust in you will trust in in in heaven and it being you know coming from faith alone in christ line help us to reach them lord and help us um help us to just you know be be wary of of that sin which is such a part of the devil and his children that sinner pride help us to just cut it out of our lives lord help us to not be proud not to be heady high-minded help us to just be humble lord help us to um to just be the opposite of what these people are help us to um to be genuinely humble to be humble in heart lord and just know that you know whatever we have it's ultimately comes from you uh help us to um to though with that you know if we're going to glory let us glory in you lord and be you know we're able to have that that pride in the word of god to have that pride in you but just not in ourselves help us to get home safe sand this evening help us to um to return on sunday in june for all this amen